End of Part One Discussion ?s

I really hate this book
1. What is the significance of everyone either being a teacher or a student?
2. Does getting lost in a mall and hiding out at the cookie mart say anything about the elderly brother and sister?
3. Is Hitler still alive in this novel? It seems to contradict itself in that fact
4. What is supposed to be humorous about the debate between Elvis and Hitler?
5. How would you have dealt with the crying Wilder in contrast or agreement with how Babette and Jack did?

Discussion Response to White Noise

1. Evaluate Jack and Babette's relationship. Is their love genuine and real ?

– Sparkletown

If I were to base my answer on the standards of today’s definition of genuine love, I would say that Jack and Babette’s relationship is not one of real love. Although he appreciates her for the things she does around the house, and how she tends to the children, which are rough types of work, he doesn’t love her for her personality. The two share every single detail of their lives with one another, but it’s not because they actually care for the other person, but because they want to be all knowing. He has had many other wives in the past, in which he has shared every detail of his life with, so his relationship with Babette is no different.

2. Does Heinrich's refusal to admit that it is raining reveal that he is highly intelligent by being able to argue with using complex points, or that he is just annoying and doesn't want to agree with his father?

– Eminem is cooler than you’ll ever be

The main reason Heinrich is placed in the novel is to be used as a foil for his father. His father Jack is a professor of Hitler studies, yet is a major poser. He has lied about knowing German for many years, which is a huge component to understanding the things Hitler has done, and a big part of studying Germany. Jack also creates re-enactments of scenes, and edits them together to make movies for his classes to watch, instead of actually teaching material. It seems like the classroom discussions are not all that important. However, his son Heinrich is utterly brilliant. Although Heinrich is not a professor, he is smarter than his father could ever hope to be. His father doesn’t acknowledge his intelligence, and chooses to argue with him, and then just drop the topic.

3. What evidence of white noise is already evident in the novel?

- A Summer’s Day

The biggest contributor to the title White Noise up until this point is Murray. While they are in the shopping mart, which seems to be a common occurrence, Murray obsesses over the white packaging. He calls it “flavorless packaging.” Murray tells how wonderful the new, generic, Irregular peanuts are, and how he likes the packaging best, even though it is white. A second contributor, this one being to the Noise part is Heinrich. He loves to listen to the radio, and agrees with everything the radio mentions. Even throughout the debate on whether or not it is raining outside, which it clearly is, Heinrich insists that the radio says it will rain tonight. Steffie also insists that the household should boil the water, because the radio said so.

White Noise Part 1 Questions

1. Why does this narrator see this event as so thrilling that he has come 21 years and running to watch it?

3. How comes the author presents the reader with a list of things Jack hates about the city only to have him exhibit a love for most of them in later chapters?

5. Describe the contrast of Murray's thrill of white packaging and keen obsession with smell.

7. What ideas are presented in this chapter on the contrasting views of what is sexually acceptable?

9. Who is the world is Baba and why is her name so close to Babette?

11. Most people know that life is a series of choices; what significance is contributed to the story by Babette not understanding this concept?

Hamlet 2.2

1. Well, putting 40 pages of Hamlet is a little difficult, but here goes nothing. Hamlet's parents invite his two friends to stay with them in their palace in exchange for them becoming undercover spies to find the source of his recent change in personality. Polonius arrives at the palace to relay his thoughts of provocation of Hamlet's madness to be moping after his recent breakup with Ophelia. Hamlet goes on a little jaunt with Polonius, acting as mad as possible, but tugging on a few heartstrings along the way. Once he meets up with his two long lost friends, he immediately discovers their true reason for being at the palace. Actors arrive, which pleases Hamlet very much. He encourages an impromptu performance, which rials him up. Once the actors have finished, he makes a dramatic exit on the scene by a strikingly emotional soliloquy where implications of madness thrive.

2. Hamlet's superfluous wit and humor would not be conveyed properly without this scene, leaving only one option, that he has honestly gone mad, instead of the alternative, pretending.

3. Hamlet- Once you found out your friends were there to betray you, why put up with them instead of confronting the king and having them sent away? Polonius- You have seen how unhappy your daughter is being separated from Hamlet; why do you insist they must not be together?

Hamlet 1.4

1. In Scene 4, Hamlet decides to wait the night out with Horatio and Marcellus, hoping to catch a glimpse of his father's ghost. As he is looming outside, the misshapen phantasm comes and beckons him away. The three men debate for a while if Hamlet should indeed follow the ghost, or fear harm from him. Hamlet decides to follow the ghost, and Marcellus and Horatio cannot pass up the chance to follow him into the abyss.

2. Hamlet displays his love and loyalty to his father by following his supposed ghost; without the scene, the strong connection between the father and son would be unknown.

3. King - If you are guilty, which I already believe you are, how are you so good at hiding it? If I had killed my brother, there is no way I could live with myself, much less party it up in his house every night.

Hamlet 1.2

1. As Scene 2 begins, the King addresses his subjects with his new queen in tow. When Hamlet comes out, after the king's lengthy speech, he responds to his uncle in a subtly sarcastic manner,making his displeasure of the situation crystal clear. Once everyone leaves, Hamlet delivers his famous soliloquy, detailing his dislike for everything happening, and his anger at his mother's fast paced change in men.

4. "Nor have we herein barred your better wisdoms, which have freely gone with this affair all along."

This sentence says that he has married the queen because all his subjects thought it was right. By defending his marriage to the queen, and blaming the idea on his subjects, he creates an unneeded alibi for himself. If this sentence was taken out, there would be no suspicion on my part of the king's wrong-doing. With this scene, I can begin my self investigation on the guilt of the king, who brings the suspicion on himself since day one.

5. After analyzing Hamlet's soliloquy in both theatrical presentations, and in a class discussion, I really feel like I have connected with him. I agree 100% with the claims he made, and I believe he has every right to be furious with his mother for her betrayal of his father by moving on much too fast. Furthermore, as if the king and queen don't move on fast enough, they are pushing Hamlet to do the same. If I were Hamlet, I wouldn't give in to anything they wanted, but be wary of the king plotting against him. Hamlet needs to out both of them to the entire kingdom and get the justice he deserves, then move on from the whole matter and go back to school and learn the trades he wants.

Response to ATPH Prompt

Style: How are horses displayed as a symbol in the novel, what can be inferred through their continual presence?
- Quarter Rose-

As dogs are to the typical city Americans, horses are a cowboy's best friend. As companionship has become a huge part of this novel, with John Grady losing Blevins, Rawlins, and nearly Alejandra, he builds a strong relationship with his horse. Right before he leaves to go after Ale, he knows exactly which horse he wants to take from the barn. Likewise, since Blevins was abused as a young child, he built a rock solid relationship with his horse. When he loses his horse in the lightning storm, he is determined to get it back. Horses represent a friendship a cowboy can depend on no matter what.

20 Questions about Part 1

                1. Why would the author chose to place the novel in the desert instead of elsewhere?

                2. Is there any significance to John Grady looking for his mom in a hotel?

                3. What is the deal with the treacherous lightening storm that comes into play?

                4. How come the boys have not encountered any harmful animals? Do you expect them to?

                5. Why do the boys wait until an hour before daylight to steal back Blevins’s horse instead of           midnight?

                6.  What’s the deal with the Mexicans they pass on their journey, but barely associate with?

    7. What’s the deal with the random workers who offer wax in exchange for Blevins?

                8.  Is there significance to the home life Blevins has run from?

                9. Do you believe Blevins’s story about the history of dying from strike of lightening?

                10. Why does Blevins lose all of his clothes except his undershorts?

                11.  Why does the author contradict what Rawlins says about getting Blevins horse back as the       last time to ditch him, when in fact, they separate for a long while later?

                12.  Why does the author bring up John Grady’s dad, only to have John run away?

    13.  Why do the boys separate from each other?

                14. Why does Blevins always stop, and get found later in the middle of the road?

                15. Where are the three boys headed for?

                16. Will religion play a bigger part in this novel or not?

                17. Why does Rawlins hate Blevins so much?

                18. Did the riders catch up with Blevins? If yes, what do you think they did to him?

                19. What is the significance of Blevins crawling through the window and getting his horse back?

                20.  Will Blevins get his pistol back?

               

Typical 21st Century baby right there. My brother does a fantastic impersonation in case you were wondering.

All The Pretty Horses pgs. 31-59

As I started reading this second section of All the Pretty Horses, I really began to have an interest in the book. In the first section there was no storyline whatsoever, but as the second section started, it blossomed. Following the Western Myth, the main character has left home to begin his "quest in the West." What makes the novel interesting is the quirky characterization of John Grady. He is a city boy at heart, and that is displayed through all of his comments on the Western Frontier. Like a typical cowboy, they are riding horseback through the desert. "How the hell do they expect a man to ride a horse in this country? They don't. " The boys have no sense of how real cowboys deal with life, and are awaiting a car to pull up and offer them a free ride. Also, stereotypical cowboys are always grungy and scraggly, however "he got his shaving things out of the saddlebag and went into the washroom and shaved and washed and brushed his teeth and combed his hair." These boys are not at all adjusted to country life, and McCarthy portrays their negligence through their dialogue.

All The Pretty Horses Pages 1-30

Contrary to every book I have ever read in my lifetime, Cormac McCarthy refuses to insert commas or quotation marks. The lack of commas irritates me because I have no idea where to take a breath in the course of his four and five and six lined sentences. There are no emphases in the sentence, just an overwhelming amount details that tend to blur together. His lack of quotation marks do not bother me too much; at least he hits return to show the shift in the character speaking. Another stylistic aspect of the novel is McCarthy's reluctance to address characters by their name. When he switches between stories, which is quite frequent, it is hard to follow who exactly he is talking about in the story. "She brought the coffee." "She came through the lobby about nine oclock."Although they are written relatively close to each other, nether woman is given a name; one can conclude that they are different women. Every male character goes by "he" which causes a lot of confusion and guesswork on the receiving end. While I enjoy reading an author that changes things up a little from the status quo book, some of these stylistic changes are harmful to my interpretation of the novel.